Listen Button - Responsive

Marketplace PM for November 26, 2004

The crisis in Ukraine continues. In Kiev tens of thousands of demonstraters are still protesting the disputed presidential election. They claim that the pro-Moscow candidate - the current Prime Minister - rigged the ballot. Ukraine's president Leonid Kuchma announced the creation of a multilateral working group to figure out a solution. The U.S. and the European Union have condemned the election. But Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the result. As Stephen Beard reports, this is turning into a test of Russia's democracy and free market reform.

The man who spent years negotiating peace talks in Northern Ireland took the stand this week in a made-for-TV court case involving two of Hollywood's biggest power brokers and the shareholders who are very angry with them. Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell is now the chairman of Disney. He testified that it was best for Michael Ovitz to be fired from his job as Disney president in 1996 by his friend and current Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Stockholders are suing Disney and the board over the $140 million severance package given to Ovitz. Janet Shprintz covers Hollywood and law for Variety...

On this biggest shopping day of the year, shoppers are buying up electronics, clothes - and maybe some outdoor gear. One item that may hit the shelves in a few years could offer the comforts of home in the wild. Joyce Russell looks into the solar tent.

It's practically an American tradition to pay for holiday gifts, parties and splurges with plastic. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if credit card debt only happened once a year. But collectively we owe $2.05 trillion. And now Americans are getting in even deeper. It's called survival debt. Commentator M.P. Dunleavey explains.